Keeping Clean

"When it rains or dew is heavy, it's next to impossible to do anything in the garden without getting your hands and feet muddy," he says.

Keeping your hands clean is pretty simple, but what about your feet? "When you have to go into the house, it's a hassle to remove your muddy shoes each time. I've solved that dilemma, too, in a number of ways," says James. "One is by wearing these garden clogs (figure C), which I never thought I'd wear, but the truth is that these are awesome for working in wet weather once you get over how goofy they look." For one thing, garden clogs are easy to get on and off, they rinse clean with a blast from the hose, and they also come with a foam insert that can be removed for cleaning.

But if you're working in tall, wet grass, standing water or a really muddy garden bed, you need even more protection, so James recommends waterproof boots. "These babies are easy to get in and out of, too, and they're reinforced to keep your feet warm." Look for waterproof gardening boots that have a shank to protect your foot while shoveling. These boots are also easy to clean with a hose.

In the reverse situation, if you need to go from the house to the garden during wet weather and don't want to remove your street shoes to put on boots, he suggests donning waterproof galoshes. They're easy to get on and off, and they're extra wide to fit over most shoes or boots.

It's also not a bad idea to have a handy boot "puller-offer" (figure G). This odd-looking tool allows you to take off your muddy boots without getting your hands dirty. "And finally, since I'm not the only messy one in the family," James adds, "I keep this large boot tray near the busiest door of the house so my kids and I can store our muddy shoes if we don't have time to clean them" (figure H).

Some homes these days have what's called a mudroom. "I don't have one in my house, but thanks to all the ways I've learned to not track mud in the house," says James, "I don't need one!"